Recently, Roxana asked “Is it Wrong for Bilingual Children in the US to Learn Spanish before English?” Among the comments on SpanglishBaby’s Facebook page, one comment particularly struck me… a fellow SpanglishBaby contributor Suzanne Mateus, said “the controversy is particularly sensitive when the children come from working class homes.”  Suzanne makes a great point. People’s reaction to a parent speaking to her child in Spanish (or any other minority language) might vary depending on their perceptions of who you are.

When you’re a Hispanic mom talking to your child in Spanish, many people assume you are doing so because you don’t speak English. When I speak to Enzo in Spanish, and then conduct transactions in perfect English, people don’t know what “box” to put me in. Where is she from? Is she American? Is she an immigrant? Is she rich? Is she poor? Why is she speaking to her son in Spanish?

If people think you’re a recently arrived immigrant, the thought seems to be “Why can’t you learn English?” or “You’re ruining your child’s life because now the kid won’t learn proper English.”

Once you’re seen as a professional, attitudes change. You start hearing things like “Oh he’s bilingual? What a wonderful gift you’re giving him.” Or “How amazing that he can understand and speak in all those languages. That’s going to help him when he’s in school.”  Or “He will have many wonderful opportunities.” It seems society says it’s great to want your children to be bilingual if you are rich, but it’s a hindrance if you are poor or an immigrant.

This point is illustrated in this quote by American linguist J.A. Fishman, which  my friend Annabelle from PiriPiri Lexicon shares on her blog about raising multilingual children:

“Many Americans have long been of the opinion that bilingualism is ‘a good thing’ if it was acquired via travel (preferably to Paris) or via formal education (preferably at Harvard) but that it is a ‘bad thing’ if it was acquired from one’s immigrant parents or grandparents.”

In toddler classes I have attended, many monolingual parents hire Spanish (or other language) speaking nannies so that their children can be exposed to another language. I have actually encountered children who have become fluent in Spanish by having a Spanish-speaking childcare provider. These parents are usually lauded for their efforts (and dollars!) to expose their children to other languages.

Today, children’s language classes are booming (and they can be quite expensive!) Are we saying it is OK for wealthy parents to spend money to have their children become bilingual, but it’s not OK for parents with lesser means to speak their language to their children?

Parents from any socio-economic status who decide to raise bilingual children are giving their children a great gift, a gift that money alone can not buy; because no number of hours at a language school can equal the richness of speaking and learning a language 24/7, with all its intricacies and the culture that is attached to it. Parents who have embarked on this journey should feel happy about the advantages and opportunities they are giving their children.

I hope that our country recognizes the benefits of bilingualism, and immigrants (both newly arrived and second or third generation) parents do not get discouraged by remarks or ” looks” thrown their way.

The truth is being bilingual gives individuals a competitive advantage. It really doesn’t matter to me if someone gives me a look or just wonders why I’m speaking to my child in Spanish, or if they assume I don’t speak English. Criticizing is easy. Raising a multilingual child requires dedication, commitment and hard work.

{Photo by Clearwater Public Library System Photos}

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Gloria Anzaldua, Chicana author and academic, wrote several books dealing with sensitive issues that arise from living on the Mexico/U.S. border. Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del otro lado is a book that lends itself to discussing a sensitive issue like undocumented immigration with children as young as 6 years old.

What I especially love about this book is that children are given the opportunity to talk about a delicate topic from the perspective of someone who may be going through what the main character is experiencing — the risks of being an undocumented immigrant.

Like other children’s books written by Anzaldua, Prietita Has a Friend (1991) Prietita y La Llorona (1996) & La fea (1958), this one is also a great way to expose children to the colorful ways bilinguals use multiple languages to communicate.

   BOOK DETAILS

   Title: Friends from the Other Side/Amigos  del otro lado.

   Author: Gloria Anzaldua

   Illustrator: Consuelo Mendez

   Ages: 6-10+

   Publisher/Year: Children’s Book Press/1995

   ISBN: 0-64234-130-0

   Price: $7.60 on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish! This is the last week, so you have until July 31 to enter.

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

Many of us have heard the phrases “Value what you have” or “Don’t be afraid to start over.” It is here that Pam Muñoz, author of Esperanza Renace (Esperanza Rising in English), does an amazing job exemplifying what this really means by taking her readers in a journey with Esperanza (which means hope). This is a story of a young girl who learns how important both love and sacrifice for family and friends are.

Esperanza is a girl who has it all: the most beautiful silk dresses, expensive porcelain dolls, and a family she adores. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse and Esperanza and her mother are forced to move to California. This new life is completely different from the one she had grown accustomed to.

The character Esperanza is based on Esperanza Ortega, Pam Muñoz’ grandmother, and her real life experiences living on a hacienda in Mexico and later coming to The United States. The beauty of this book is that is very well written and will leave you always wanting to read more. While it is targeted for audiences 8+, this is a great opportunity to use this book as a read aloud to your children. They for sure will love it.

BOOK DETAILS

Title: Esperanza Renace

Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan

Translator: Nuria Molinero

Illustrator: Joe Capeda

Publisher/Year: Scholastic en Español, 2012

Ages: 8+

ISBN: 978-0439398855

Price: $6.99 on Amazon.com

Editor’s note: We continue with our 31 Days of Reading in Spanish. Check out the book review below and don’t forget to enter our weekly GIVEAWAY of $100 worth of books in Spanish!

BOOK DESCRIPTION/REVIEW

I love the multicultural children’s literature written by bilingual teacher and author Rene Colato Lainez. His books feature minority children in a positive way, and his stories encourage all children to dream and work for a better future.

Esperando a Papá introduces children to some of the many issues surrounding immigration and its impact on families. The story starts with Beto celebrating his eighth birthday and wishing once again that his father could be with him. Three years before that, Beto and his mother came to the United States from El Salvador, but his father was unable to get a visa. The loss of the family home and their possessions weighs heavily on Beto’s mind, but it is the absence of his father that is felt the most.

A school project gives Beto the opportunity to read on the radio a heartfelt letter to his father. His beautiful words to his dad help facilitate the family’s long awaited reunion. When Beto learns that his father will soon be with him, he works to purchase him a special present. With the aid of his classmates, Beto is successful in purchasing boots for his father, making the reunion even more joyous and special.

While children will enjoy the story, they will gain an understanding of some more complex issues. They will also come to appreciate the value of hard-work, tenacity and the need to have hope. This is a book that the whole family will enjoy!

     BOOK DETAILS

     Title: Waiting For Papá/Esperando a Papá

     Author:  René Colato Laínez

     Illustrator: Anthony Accardo

     Ages:  4-12 years

     Publisher/Year:  Piñata Books/2004

     ISBN:  1558854037

     Price:  $13.72 on amazon.com

When I watched Ana and Roxana’s interview with Jorge Ramos of Univision last week, I was struck by an irony. Roxana spoke about the fact that the Latino community used to be all for assimilation, thus interested in teaching their kids to be as American as possible, which meant speaking English only (or at least more than Spanish). As evidenced by the growing numbers of SpanglishBaby supporters and the flurry of national conversation about bilingualism, this attitude is changing. The irony is that as the previous generation’s fear of acting or speaking like a Latino is on its way out, white culture has adopted that fear in reverse.

By that, I mean that some whites are now even more hateful toward Latino immigrants and their children than they were before this minority had any chance of becoming the majority. Although there are many non-Hispanic Americans like myself, who are interested in and passionate about giving our children a multicultural and multilingual upbringing, a huge demographic segment still resists the influx of Latinos to this country. Because it’s become harder for these people to avoid all things Latino (por ejemplo: “Press 1 for English, para español marque 2”), they are buckling down and holding tight to somewhat ridiculous representations of white America.

Since when have we cared if road signs or bathroom signs are written in both Spanish and English? Are people truly inconvenienced by extra text that makes no sense to them?

Why do some people get frustrated that their electronics instruction manual is translated into Spanish? That inclusion is just good business sense on the part of the manufacturer.

I admitted in a previous post that the prevalence of Spanish is also difficult for me, even if I understand the words. Yet, I’m not complaining about its availability for those who need it. In fact, I’d rather have warning signs and instructions written in Spanish than endure the consequences of people not following them because they can’t read English. To me, constant visual reminders of how many people in our country would rather read the Spanish part of the sign causes me to pause and be grateful for living in a place where people can thrive (not just get by) even when they do not speak the majority language.

In a time of great change, there will always be backlash. Fears are natural, and both Latinos and whites have felt this particular one – that their comfort zone is slipping away. Because we’ve both felt it, though, we should be more capable of understanding why the other group needs some reminders of home. I can only hope that this culture war inspires people to be more flexible, and especially causes whites to finally see the difference between cultural dominance and the reality of the “melting pot” we claim we have always had. Are we ready for the fact that some people will never mix in that pot, and therefore be  ready to accommodate everyone?

{Photo by incolor-inc}

It’s obvious that summer is right around the corner because it was a bit of a slow week in terms of news in the world of bilingualism. What we did find, though, is definitely worth reading:

Educators once opposed raising bilingual children. Experts now say it’s beneficial from the Washington Post — The majority of the info in this article is not totally new, but I like that it’s all together in one place and written in a way that is super easy to understand. Two things I learned: “Bilinguals are better at putting themselves in other people’s shoes” and how for bilinguals “each language brings to mind the values of the culture experienced while learning it.”

Cultural lifeline from The Boston Globe —  Interesting read that explores the real life difficulties of raising bilingual children. I think many of you will identify. I love the diversity in the article and that I discovered the author’s blog, called The Hyphenated Life, which I plan to follow from now on. Plus, our friend Carolina Gómez-Kramer of 1-2-3 Spanish Together was interviewed for the article.

California Valedictorian Gives Speech in Spanish, Sparking Debate from Fox News Latino — Wow! This was a pretty bold move on the part of both the student and the school’s principal. People are furious over this because, you know, this is America and we speak English, damn it! Definitely worth reading and if you follow the links, you can actually read Saul Tello Jr.’s speech. His Spanish-speaking parents should be extremely proud!

Moona in the City – Episode 2 — From one of our favorite bilingual family bands, Moona Luna, comes the second episode featuring the adventures of Moona as she and Sandra V discover the cultural and culinary diversity in New York City.

Finally, as you might already know, Ana has been blogging over at Babble Voices since May where she writes weekly for her blog Besos. And I’ve been working as a staff writer over at MamásLatinas since February where I use my bilingual skills on a daily basis, as I write in both English and Spanish about parenting and other topics in the news. We figured we’d link our articles here in case you’re interesting in reading them:

Besos: Foreign Languages Should Be Taught in all Elementary Schools, and England Agrees — Ana opinion’s piece based on England’s decision to put forth a plan to make foreign languages compulsory for children 7 years old and up. As she says, when will the Unites States give bilingualism the value it deserves?

MamásLatinas: Aunque haya sido por votos, aplaudo que Obama detenga deportaciones de jóvenes indocumentados — Unless you live under a rock, you must know that today was a huge day in the world of immigration. President Obama announced a new policy that stands to change the lives of hundreds of thousands undocumented youth. While he may very well have done it for the votes, I have to applaud his decision for I know several young people who will benefit from this policy.

Have any links I forgot to include? Please feel free to share. The more the merrier! ¡Gracias y buen fin de semana!

Jada of Quiero Mi Baby

MTV Tr3s’s new show, Quiero Mi Baby premiered on Monday April 16th – it’s a new series that shows the realities of cross-cultural parenting including language, religion and tradition clashes, in addition to many other issues unique to bi/multicultural families. Quiero Mi Baby is a show I relate to on many levels and I know a lot of our SpanglishBaby familia will as well.

Check out this exclusive preview (meaning YOU WILL ONLY SEE IT HERE!) of tonight’s episode and then see our interview with the couple, Jada and Kristian, below.

Episode description: “Jada, la gringuita, moved to Mexico for the love of the Latin Culture and to learn Spanish. But she never expected to fall in love with Kristian, a Mexican musician that fell for her instantly. From this love, Jada became pregnant, so she decides that the best thing to do is to go back to the states to be with her family during her pregnancy. Jada and Kristian go through really rough times given that Kristian does not have his visa to come visit Jada, not even when their baby is born! Will this couple be able to be together again and create a family for their baby boy? Don’t miss this touching Tr3s’ original series Quiero Mi Baby episode to find out how love can cross any boundaries!”

SpanglishBaby talks to Jada

SB: The preview of your episode was difficult for me to watch. I’m also a “gringa” who fell in love with a Latin American man and although we were never separated by the border as you were with Kristian, it was something my husband and I worried about in our first few years together. What made you decide to leave Kristian behind in Mexico and come have your baby in the United States?

Jada: Several factors were discussed, the first is that we wanted our son to have American citizenship and we knew that if he was born in another country the process would be very lengthy. We figured worst case scenario I would be alone for the first 6 months of the pregnancy, while Kristian’s paperwork came through. We never expected it to be one year before we would bring him to the States. Second, I wanted a natural childbirth and I was told that communication was key in this process. I wanted to make sure I had a strong English speaking medical team so I can understand everything that was happening. I didn’t want to find myself needing to have translated what’s happening mid-birth, that made me nervous. I needed to be sure the environment would be calm and smooth, so this was the best solution for us.

SB: The description of the episode says that you moved to Mexico for your love of Latin culture and to learn Spanish – Where did that passion for Latin culture come from? How far are you in your Spanish studies and how, as a non-native speaker, do you plan to raise your new baby boy to be bilingual?

Jada: I turned 30 in September and at 4 years old I have a very vivid memory of encountering a Mexican family, and listening to someone my age speak to her mom – and I thought ‘wow she’s saying the same thing but in a different way.’ From that moment on I was very intrigued by the culture and being Italian, there are many similarities. My family also fostered a lot of relationships with friends who were Mexican and Cuban growing up, so I was surrounded by the culture quite often.

I feel confident about speaking the language and understand it well… sometimes my grammar and tenses are off which is embarrassing but my in-laws are very proud and supportive. And yes, I definitely want our son to be bilingual. We only speak Spanish at home and we take him to Spanish story time at the library.

SpanglishBaby talks to Kristian

SB: As I told Jada, the preview for your Quiero Mi Baby episode was difficult for me to watch – Many other people have been in your position including friends of mine who are living far away from their husbands and/or father of their children due to lack of a visa – it’s heartbreaking. I wonder, do you worry much that your son is growing up outside of your culture and language?

Kristian: He’s growing up different than I because of the environment and where we live but we reinforce my culture and language in the home as much as possible. I take him to Latin dance classes, festivals, my in-laws teach me Mexican recipes when we see each other. I talk to my family in Mexico about 2-3 times a week. And we plan to travel as much as possible when the baby is older, so he can grow up around cousins and family. Given that we’re both teachers, I’ve also thought about moving the family to Mexico for the summers.

SB: I noticed in the video that you speak Spanish to Jada and the baby – is it important to you that your son is bilingual? Why?

Kristian: I’m an artist by trade and when it comes to storytelling, poetry in Spanish, it’s so engaging and I want my son to love it, and to understand, and it’s just not the same translated – the emotion is not the same. I want to teach my son and share experiences with him in my native language. It’s where I feel most comfortable and confident that I’m getting my message across.

Do you relate to Kristian & Jada’s story? Want to see what happens?

Watch Quiero Mi Baby on MTV’s Tr3s Mondays at at 9pm ET or on Tr3s.com.

{Photo by: maveric2003}

Embracing your culture can be really good for you – especially if you’re a student.

A recent study titled “Culture Predicts Mexican-Americans’ College Self-Efficacy and College Performance” found that Mexican immigrant students who identify and practice speaking their native language have higher grade point averages than those who are put in English-only environments in their schools. The reason? David Aguayo, the doctoral student who conducted the study, found that the stress levels of those students who found themselves in a new territory were decreased when they embraced their culture.

This speaks volumes about bilingual students in our country. It’s also an amazing discovery to help identifying what can be done to promote the college success of Mexican-Americans in the U.S.

We had the chance to ask Aguayo a little more about his study. The interview can be found below:

SpanglishBaby: You said that student’s who embrace their cultural heritage do better in school, what evidence did your study find to prove this?

David Aguayo: In short, immigrant students in college who identified with their Mexican culture had a better GPA than the 2nd and later generation students who did not. Along with other studies, I am suggesting that embracing one’s culture, as students are settling into this American one, can help in reducing stress levels associated with the new territory and its expectations, allowing them to focus on learning new concepts and ideas.

SB: You mention that it’s not only about speaking their native language, but also “eating certain foods or interacting with people who share your heritage” what helps. Can you elaborate?

DA: Referring specifically to the Spanish language and the Mexican culture, immigrant students will benefit from an environment that endorses their cultural practices. No matter how that practice looks like, when students feel safe at school and at home their defense mechanisms will decrease, allowing them to be open to new experiences.  Better put, instead of throwing someone into the deep end of the pool, when immigrant students are allowed to maintain what they know and use it as their life-vest, they will better learn to navigate the system, coming out at the end with strong self-perception and self-esteem, which is found to have better academic outcomes.

This differs for 2nd and later generation students who identify as Mexican-Americans and it depends on the type of environment in which they grown up. If these 2nd and later students grow up in a predominantly White environment, without any mention of their parents culture, they may identify more with their Anglo peers. In comparison to those 2nd and later students who, despite the White environment, identify more with a Mexican culture (food, music, language, values) that has been inculcated throughout their development.

SB: What exactly does “allowing native language in school” mean to you? Does this mean hiring bilingual teachers or simply encouraging students to speak in their native language? And which do you think would have better results?

DA: I feel that this question has a political undertone, which includes the political discourse of whether schools should be English-speaking or English/Spanish-speaking, which is a conversation that is led by values. Nonetheless, language should be decided amongst a school’s needs and goals, rather than a state-wide or even nation-wide agenda. Regardless of whether you are pro-English-only initiatives or not, allowing native language in schools, in my opinion, would assists immigrant students to feel more comfortable in such environment, so that they can slowly move to classes that will help them get to college, not just graduate high school.

My concern lies more in the mental health of students. Therefore, my answer will be shaped according to students’ needs within their respective environment: this will look differently in a predominantly White school versus a more diverse one. Nevertheless, bilingual teachers and administration serve the need that school districts have when there are a large proportion of parents who do not speak English or do not know how to navigate the school system

It is important to keep in mind, however, that given the global economy that we are in as a nation, our teachers and administration (bilingual or not) ought to be aware of students’ differences, accept those differences, and be sensitive to students’ needs, while expecting similar academic work, according to students’ academic abilities.

But, when you speak of “better results” do you mean graduation rates? Because if you do, our students need more role models and mentors that will guide them through the educational pipeline. Our students need people who will hold them to higher academic expectations. English or Spanish or both, we need these students to graduate high school and partake in a post-secondary education.

SB: What advice do you give Latino parents when it comes to helping their kids succeed in school, especially the ones that are so concerned about their kids learning English that they virtually stop talking to them in Spanish with the hopes that this will help?

DA: Again, it depends in the environment that these students grow up in. If the parents force their children to speak solely English, but the kids are around Spanish-environment outside of home, then this will create great conflict in their home and identity, specially during adolescence. However, if these same parents are in an all-White environment, the kids will grow up with little identity conflict. According to studies, success is not solely determined by language, but rather academic preparation, high expectations, and mentorship and guidance (both by parents, educators, and peers) which proves fruitful in students’ academic outcomes. Therefore, I recommend that parents be more involved in their children’s education from very early on. Particularly our Latina/o parents, because a vicious stereotype (that our Latina/o students are not academically fit for success) exists amongst many educators, which is holding our students behind, by simply having subconsciously lower expectations.

David Aguayo is a doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. In the future, he plans to study and investigate why Mexican-American students who have lived here all their lives don’t do as well in school as Mexican-Americans who have moved here more recently.

image source: iGerard

For the DREAMers

I know that our community at Spanglishbaby is a diverse bunch, and that we come from a variety of personal and political perspectives, so I’m a little nervous about writing a post about politics, but I’d like to share with you some of my reflections on the recent passage of AB 130, the California DREAM Act:

The California DREAM Act allows undocumented students to receive financial aid, if financially eligible, from private and public sources. Under AB540, these students were already allowed to pay in-state tuition, instead of out-of-state tuition, but this makes it possible for them to afford their college fees, which even at state colleges is over $6,000 (cost of attendance, including rent, books, etc. is about $16,000).

During this terrible recession, the prospect of allowing “aliens” to receive taxpayer monies is alarming to many people, even though there are compelling economic arguments in favor of allowing these students–who have grown up here and will stay here as professionals–to complete their educations. But I am no economist. I’m just a teacher and an immigrant.

My family immigrated to this country when I was 11 months old. We were leaving El Salvador in 1980, just as the civil war there became a real threat even to upper-class professional families like mine. My parents packed up their six kids into a brown Chevy van, after selling or giving away a lifetime’s worth of possessions, and we drove to the U.S. We were lucky. We were leaving behind a life of comfort for one of struggle, but a working-class struggle. We always had food to eat, although sometimes our electricity got shut off. In California, that was not such a big deal. We were lucky because my mother had served as a secretary in the U.S. Consulate for twenty years and was able to secure permanent residencies for all of us without a problem. This “perk” of her work changed all of our lives, and may have even saved them.

So I was never undocumented. As my baby picture on my first green card proved, I was always a legal permanent resident of this country. Until, finally, thirty years later, I became a citizen. Even though I grew up here, en los estados, it was bittersweet for me to lose my Salvadoran citizenship. It was a connection to my history, mi familia. I was able to postpone that change for so long because as a legal immigrant and permanent resident, I wasn’t much different from a citizen: I could attend school, receive government benefits, and most importantly for me, receive financial aid. My family could never have afforded my private university education without massive amounts of financial aid. Even though I worked several jobs and earned good grades, it was that aid which made it possible for me to earn two Bachelor’s degrees and a Master’s degree all by the time I was 24. I knew how much it meant to my family for me to graduate college. I was the first woman in my family to do so, though several have now followed in my footsteps. I then became a community college professor and have worked as a part of California’s Puente Project to help underrepresented students transfer to universities and earn their university degrees.

In other words, I’m trying to “pay it forward.”

I’ve been doing this work for nearly a decade and over that time I have worked with countless immigrant students from all over the world, not just Latin America. Each student has his or her own story, and I have been touched by many. It is these undocumented students whom I have had the honor of teaching that have impacted me the most. Every single undocumented student, probably 50 that identified themselves to me (not always a safe thing to do), has been hardworking, intelligent, dedicated, and passionate about his or her education and serving the community. I’m not kidding. Tienen ganas!

I think the reason that my AB540 students/DREAMers are so amazing is that for years they have known that no matter what they did, whether they graduated or not, whether they poured their hearts into school or dropped out, they could not live their dreams–to work legally in the only country they know as home. This means that undocumented college students are going to school and working hard not because there is a financial reward for them, or even security for their families, but in spite of the fact that there isn’t. DREAMers are slaving over their studies because they want to better themselves, to learn, to become better equipped to serve their communities, fully aware that they may never make a living wage, that they may always live in fear of deportation to a country they have no memories of. It’s amazing. It takes a special kind of person not to just give up and drop out in that situation. I went to school knowing it would “pay off,” that I would be able to pursue the career of my choice. Undocumented students have no such gaurantee, despite the fact that they have earned the opportunity just as much as I have.

One of the greatest tragic ironies of the DREAMers predicament is that because they immigrated here as children (the act only applies to those who immigrated as children), many of them grew up believing they were “American” and did not realize they did not have papers until it came time to apply for college. This is the only country they know. This is the country they love. There is often, literally, nowhere else for them to go, and yet, for so long, they have been told to “go home.”

I could tell you about so many students, some who have gone on to medical school (imagine working those insane hours with no hope of practicing medicine legally!), law school, nursing school, and every other type of school and profession. They have done it and they have paid for it by working mutliple jobs, by cobbling together rare scholarships, by going into credit card debt, and by the sacrifice of their parents–basically, the same as “American” students, with the major difference that many of these students would have been able to rely on financial aid to help with some of that huge cost.

These students inspire their peers. I have heard (U.S. born) students, at a graduation dinner, tell of an undocumented friend who would tell them, when they thought of dropping out, “Are you crazy? You have this amazing opportunity. I don’t have the opportunities you do, and I’m still here! You can’t drop out.” And because this student was so passionate about his learning, he kept his friends in school. Undocumented students do not hurt their legal peers.

These students inspire me. They don’t take their education for granted–they fight for it! They don’t want a handout–they want a chance to work hard. They were never asking for money to go on vacation. They wanted, and now will get, tuition money so that they can work hard–it’s an opportunity, not a gift. And if experience tells me anything, it’s that these students will continue to take any opportunity that comes their way and do amazing things with it. So many of them have told me they are trying to stay in school long enough for the world to change, so that they can legally practice their professions. I think it’s happening. I think they have changed our world a little bit, with a lot more to come.

Recently, on our campus, our undocumented students held a “coming out of the shadows” day. They told their stories in front of a public audience in order to put their faces to the term “undocumented.” They knew that if people would just get to know them, their classmates, their students, their friends, they would realize that no one could be less “alien.”

I hope that my girls will read about this in their history books one day and be proud of our state for doing right by its people and for being the “land of opportunity” that so many of our families came in search of.

{Photo by: cliff1066™}

As I mentioned last week, NPR is dedicating the next few days to a series entitled Two Languages, Many Voices: Latinos in the U.S. about bicultural Latinos and their impact on education, technology, religion and entertainment.

The first part in the series about the town of West Liberty in Iowa and how the majority of its population is Latino aired earlier today in Morning Edition. The story, along with an interactive map of how Latinos are reshaping communities are both available on NPR’s website. (Be forewarned, as usual, not all the comments are pleasant or even informed.)

By the way, I must say I was astounded on Friday when NPR teased the series on their Facebook fan page saying it would be exploring bilingual life in the U.S. and asked how English and Spanish affected the lives of its fans. The prompt got over 1,000 comments. My surprise was not with the racist and ignorant comments – sadly, I’ve become used to those already – but with the many, many people who supported bilingualism and shared their own stories of growing up or raising kids with two languages. Bravo!

The fact that NPR is dedicating a whole week to this series speaks volumes of what it means to be the largest minority in this country, 50.5 million and counting. It should also serve as a reminder that Latinos have been here since before this country officially became the United States and that regardless of the broken immigration system, we’re here to stay.

My first reaction after listening to today’s story was that West Liberty sounds like an oasis at a time when anti-immigrant laws – the toughest of which were just passed in Alabama – have become the “in” thing to do.

I know there are Latinos pretty much anywhere in the United States, but prior to listening to this story, I had no idea they were in Iowa, and much less that many of them have been there for generations. In fact, the first Latino immigrants arrived in the 1930s to work in the town’s turkey plant (I guess little has changed since then) and apparently many never left.

My favorite character in the story was the mayor, Chad Thomas, who moved to West Liberty 11 years ago because of its diversity AND… dual language school which is in its 14th year.

“A big factor for us since we were thinking about kids was the dual language school program, so the thought of our children being able to go through the school system and come out speaking Spanish relatively fluently,” Thomas gave as an explanation. If only more people could be open enough to the benefits of bilingualism, dual language programs would be the norm around the country.

On another note, I was introduced to professor Rubén G. Rumbaut a sociologist who’s been studying children of immigrants since the 1990s. I think I might have heard his name before, but it reminded me that this is someone I’d really like to read more about because his research sounds invaluable to someone like me who is raising children of immigrants.

“To be bicultural, to be bilingual, means to feel comfortable in two cultural worlds, to feel comfortable and proficient in two languages,” Rumbaut said, describing exactly what I, and many of you who read this blog, can identify with easily.

In the next few days we plan to bring you previews of some of the other stories in NPR’s series and hopefully an exclusive interview with Claudio Sanchez, the station’s education correspondent who spent some time in Coral Way Elementary School in Miami, the nation’s oldest bilingual immersion program in the country.